The Longing for Greatness

used. In Siberia, it’s a pile of snow at the end of a freshly plowed street. Everywhere children gather and human instincts prevail, the game is played. It is known by many names, but where I grew up, we called it “King of the Hill.” It can be played by indi- viduals or highly organized teams, although to be truthful, even the best team leader can fall victim to a mutiny by the time it’s over. The desire to be the last man standing, the de facto King of the Hill, proves too tempting to resist. Eventually, the stron- gest alliances fail and it’s every man for himself.

The game starts in childhood but most people play it for the rest of their lives. Perhaps not in the all-out way of pushing peo- ple around, the echoes of dog-eat-dog and at-any-cost mentali- ties prevail. “King of the Hill” becomes King of the Boardroom, King of Academia, King of the Home, or even King of the Pul- pit Committee. There is something within the heart of man that yearns to be crowned with greatness. Whether wrangling for control of a dirt hill on the edge of a playground or control of a group of people we’re called to serve, we’re usually driven by similar motives. We want to be great. This desire has taken a lot

of hard knocks over the years. Striving for greatness has driven a lot of people to do ungodly things as they try to fulfill their desire at any cost. As a result, adult etiquette seems to shun any desire for greatness, to stuff it down somewhere in our psyche and feign humility, all the while smoldering on the inside be- cause someone else gets recognized and we get ignored.

I want to challenge you to think about greatness in another way. What if you were destined for greatness? I’m not talking about being arrogant or putting others down in order to be seen as the best. I’m asking, what if part of God’s plan was to make you truly great for eternity? Would you have to go about pursu- ing it like we did as kids, knocking people off the hill on your way to the top? Or would God have some counter-culture way for us to achieve exactly what He has for us?

Allow me to let you in on a little-known secret. You desire to be great precisely because you were meant to be great. That doesn’t negate the wrongs associated with striving for worldly honor and acclaim with a spirit of pride. It’s still wrong to knock one another off the top of the hill, it’s still wrong to backstab in the boardroom, and it’s still wrong to bully the pulpit commit- tee just so you can achieve your advancement. True to His style and reputation, God has a much more excellent plan to fulfill your longing for greatness. The great God built into your spirit a longing to be great and successful. Greatness is part of your di- vine calling. Jesus never rebuked anyone for longing to be great, only for attempting to fulfill the longing in a wrong way (Luke 11:43). We are not to repent of this God-given longing to be great. We are only to repent of pursuing it with a wrong spirit.

We were made for greatness and honor. Every believer is ordained for greatness beyond anything we can fathom. Paul described the greatness God has planned for us as something that has not even entered the human mind when he wrote, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Let me tell you, I unashamedly want to be great in God’s sight! I want to be wealthy eternally! I encourage all godly peo- ple to have this as a personal goal. Greatness is within the reach of everyone. Get rid of your false humility, but remember that the only way into greatness is through the cross of Jesus and by walking in meekness.

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